Pressure jet tank cleaner



United States Patent Michael McNally Bundtacherstrasse 30, Forch, Switzerland 755,226

Aug. 26, 1968 Dec. 1, 1970 lnventor Appl. No. Filed Patented PRESSURE JET TANK CLEANER 12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 239/227, 239/240, 239/383 Int. Cl B05b 3/04 Field of Search 239/227,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,255,969 6/1966 Saad 239/227 3,275,241 9/1966 Saad 239/227 3,326,468 6/1967 Bristow et al 239/227 3,460,988 8/1969 Kennedy, Jr., et al. 239/227X F ORElGN PATENTS 1,037,259 7/ 1 96 6 Great Britain 239/227 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, J r. Assistant Examiner-Michael Y. Mar Attorney-Harvey G. Lowhurst ABSTRACT: A hydraulically operated cleaner with nozzles for directing strong jets of cleaning fluid against interior tank surfaces.

Patented 1,1970 Q 3,544,012

Fig-2 INVENTOR MICHAEL 'McNALLY ATTORNEY w x- W PRESSURE JET TANK CLEANER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a tank cleaner and, more particularly, to a device for directing strong jets of cleaning fluid in directions determined by a hydraulically operated turbine and gearing drive immersed in the fluid.

Cargo tanks of the marine trade and also mobile as well as stationary tanks for land use are often cleaned when their inner walls have been in contact with oil or other stored liquids. The cleaning task is usually one involving a toxic, greasy, vaporous, explosive, or high temperature condition. It has been common 'in the past to suspend a hydraulically rotated nozzle head in a given tank so that high-pressure jets of suitable cleaning fluid could be directed on all inner wall surfaces to dislodge the dirt and avoid risks and also the extended labor necessarily involved if the task were manually performed as in former years. Such a nozzle head device performs the cleaning task admirably, and examples of such devices are disclosed in the US. Pat. Nos. 3,255,969 granted June 14, I966 and 3,275,241 granted Sept. 27, 1966, each in the name of Michel A. Saad, and also in the US. Pat. No. 3,326,468 granted June 20, 1967 in the names of Robert A. McCloud and Barney Bristow.

It has now been found that such a hydraulically operated device need not be as heavy, complicate or costly as those disclosed in the above-referred-to patents or previously in use, and also that it may be relatively free of maintenance and repair despite protracted use periods. An excellent device may be made using a simple and commercially available T-fitting in place of the costly and complex housing heretofore employed as a main element. It has also been discovered that thrust bearing problems may be eliminated thereby further reducing cost and enhancing compactness of structure and lightness in weight. These factors contribute much .to handling ease.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved tank cleaner which is light in weight, simple in construction, low in cost and substantially devoid of maintenance difficulties and, at the same time, is fully effective in performing the tank cleaning function.

A feature of the present invention is a fluid supply means such as a support sleeve, a nozzle head and an interposed housing in which the housing contains a turbine and gearing in contact with and driven by the fluid being supplied and effective to impart dual rotational movement to noules diverging from the nozzle head.

The above and other important features of the invention will now be described in detail and pointed out more particularly in the appended claims. 1

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I shows an elevation view of a railroad tank car with a portion broken away to depict a cleaner device in a functional position;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, drawn to a larger scale, of a cleaner device embodying features of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, drawn to an intermediate scale, and illustrating a preferred exterior appearance of the device shown in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. I, a railroad car tank 2 is shown with a cleaner device 4 supported in functional position on the lower end of a fluid supply conduit 6. The device 4 is adapted to rotate on a first or vertical axis simultaneously with rotation of nozzles 82 and 84 of the device on a second or horizontal axis. It is clear that the multidirectional positions thus given to the nozzles 82 and 84 will cause jets of cleaning fluid emanating from the nozzle strongly to impinge against the interior surfaces of tank 2 and perform the cleaning operation.

In FIG. 2, a duct or support sleeve 10 is provided with threads 12 by means of which it can be detachably held or suspended from a cleaning fluid supply duct or hose 6 such as shown in FIG. 1. The sleeve l0 has an inner annular, shoulder 14 and an outer annular shoulder 16 facing in opposite directions. The lower end of the sleeve 10 is formed with bevel gear teeth 18, and it also bears an outer annular groove 20 retaining an O-ring 22.

A bladed stator 24 fits within the sleeve 10 with a slight peripheral clearance as at 26 and 27, and also is made with an annular shoulder 28 facing the sleeve shoulder 14. Fixed to andcoaxial with the stator 24 is a rod or tension member 30 which depends downwardly into a large L-shaped portion 32 and a smaller bottom portion 34 of a T-shaped chamber. The latter is defined by the support sleeve 10, a nozzle head 36, and a preferably, but not necessarily T-shaped housing 38 interposed between the sleeve and head.

Coaxially and rotatably mounted on and with respect to the rod 30 and adjacent to the stator 24 is a turbine rotor 40. A drive sleeve or shaft 42 is fixed to and depends from the rotor 40 and bears a plate 44 beveled at its periphery merely in the interest of compactness. The plate carries at least one pin 46 upon which a two-part planetary gear 48 may rotate. Upper and lower portions 48a and 48b of gear 48 are provided with different numbers of teeth, and each is in engagement with a gear 50 or 52 mounted on the rod 30. Gear 50 is a sun gear keyed at 51 to the rod, whereas the gear 52 is integral with a plate 54 keyed at 56 to the housing 38 but free to rotate on the rod 30. A first closure 58 is fixed at 60 to the lower end of the rod 30, and bears an O-ring 62 forming a seal with the housing 38. A plastic bearing ring 64 is also provided between the housing 38 and the first closure 58 merely to avoid any incidental friction due primarily because of the weight of the power rotated parts. Suitable plastic bearings 66, 68, 70, 72 and 74 are provided to minimize friction encountered in the rotation of the gears. These plastic bearings should be of material capable to resist specific conditions of use to be encountered. v

The third or side leg of the T-shaped housing 38 telescopically receives a reduced portion of the nozzle head 36 and with an O-ring seal 76 and a plastic bearing 78 interposed. The inner end of the head 36 is provided with bevel gear teeth 80 held in engagement with the teeth 18 of the support sleeve 10. Outwardly directed nozzles 82 and 84 extend from the nozzle head 36. A second closure 86 is nonrotatively held with respect to the housing 38 by means of a tension member or strap 88 apertured at 90 to either clear shaft 42 or to receive a bushing 91 in which shaft 42 rotates. lnterposed between the second closure 86 and head 36 is an O-ring seal 93 and a plastic bearing 92.

Assuming that the device 4 is permanently or temporarily supported within a tank 2 to be cleaned and it is retained on a cleaning fluid supply conduit 6 of some sort as shown in FIG. 1, it will be seen that fluid under high pressure acts against the closure 58 placing rod 30 under tension, and thereby forcing stator 24 downwardly causing clutcltlike engagement of surfaces 14 and 28. Since surface 28 is fixed, this clutchlike engagement holds stator 24, closure 58, and sun gear 50 against rotation. With the fluid supply cut off, however, or in the event the cleaning device 4 is subjected to shock, a clutch release or slipping action permits the device 4 freely to turn about the vertical axis. If the supply of fluid continues and with no obstruction to impede the action, the gears in the chamber portion 34 will turn as driven by the turbine rotor 40 and the plate 54 will rotate the housing 38 about the vertical axis. The engagement of the teeth 18 and 80 will, in turn, cause rotation of the nozzles 82 and 84 about a horizontal aXIS.

The epicyclic or compound planetary gear arrangement is such that with each revolution of the planetary gear 48 about the fixed sun gear 50, the gear 48 rotates about its own axis and with less teeth in the gear part 48b than in the gear part of 48a, the gear 52 and hence the housing 38 will rotate at a much slower rate than will the turbine rotor 40. As shown, and merely by way of example, fifty revolutions of the rotor 40 could result in a single revolution of the nozzle head 36 about a vertical axis and simultaneous rotation of the nozzles S2 and 84 about a horizontal axis at a rate dependent upon the revolutions of the housing 36 about the axis and the ratio of the pitch diameters of the gear teeth lid and Thrust bearing loads are insignificant as fluid pressure exerted against the closures 58 and So are bdanccd through the tension members 39 and 88 against other parts of the system with heretofore used costly and troublesome thrust bearings being avoided. Also, no separately sealed and grease filled gearing chamber is used, and the gearing is immersed in and lubricated by the cleaning fluid so that compactness, light weight and simplicity follow as characteristics of the structure.

I claim:

1. A tank cleaning device comprising:

a support sleeve;

a nozzle head and an interposed housing cooperating with said sleeve and head to form a fluid conducting chamber;

a first closure arranged as a seal for said chamber;

means for holding said first closure in rotatable relation with said housing;

a bladed stator disposed in said support sleeve and in nonrotatable relation with said first closure, said nozzle head being journaled in said housing to form a side fluid outlet for said chamber;

a second closure rotatably mounted on and in relation with said nozzle head and forming a seal for said chamber;

means holding said second closure and seal housing in nonrotative relation;

a turbine rotor adjacent to said bladed stator and rotatable with relation to the latter; and

a differential reduction gearing arrangement disposed in said chamber and connecting said turbine rotor to said housing for rotating the latter around one axis, said differential reduction gearing arrangement including a shaft having one end fixed to said turbine rotor and its other end with the remainder of said gearing arrangement being rotationally supported on said first closure, adjacent ends of said nozzle head and support sleeves being geared together to form a drive connection for driving said nozzle about a second axis.

2. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 1, said fluid conducting chamber comprising a large L-shaped portion and a smaller side portion, and the said remainder of said gearing arrangement being located within said smaller side portion.

3. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim ll, said support sleeve and said bladed stator having facing annular shoulder surfaces coaxial with said turbine rotor and constituting portions ofa frictional holding means for normally holding said first closure means in nonrotatable relation with said sleeve, the annular shoulder surface on said stator facing said housing, and annular radial clearances being defined within said support sleeve and around said bladed stator and turbine rotor.

4. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 3, said frictional holding means including a rod extending through said differential reduction gearing and effective to serve as a tension member in transferring a fluid pressure load on said first closure to said support sleeve through contact of said facing annular shoulder surfaces.

5. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 1, said means holding said first closure in rotatable relation with said housing and means holding said second closure and housing in nonrotative relation being elongated tension elements passing through said fluid conducting chamber andeffective to be tensioned in resisting fluid pressure present in the latter.

6. A tank cleaning device comprising:

a housing;

a fluid supply means and a nozzle head connection together to define an angular main flow chamber, but each being relatively rotatable with relation to the others;

first and second closures on said housing and nozzle head respectively;

tension members retaining said closures in positions to seal said fluid flow chamber against fluid pressure in the latter, said tension members including an elongated element held nonrotatively with relation to said fluid supply means and said closure. and an elongated element held nonrotatively with respect to said housing and said second closure; and

means in said fluid flow chamber for imparting dual rotational movement to said nozzle head with respect to said fluid supply means.

7. A tank cleaning device comprising:

housing means including an upper projection, a lower projection and a side projection defining a generally T- shaped fluid flow chamber; fluid supply sleeve means having gear means provided at one end thereof, said one end being sealingly received within said upper projection of said housing means;

generally cylindrical nozzle head means provided with gear means at one end and being open at the other end, said one end of head means being sealingly received within said side projection of said housing means and operatively engaging said one end of said sleeve means so as to cause said nozzle head means to be rotated relative to said housing means when said housing means is rotated relative to said sleeve means;

first closure means sealingly engaging said lower projection of said housing means and being rotatable relative thereto; first tension means passing through said chamber and coupling said first closure means to said sleeve means;

second closure means sealingly engaging said other end of said nozzle head means and being rotatable relative thereto;

second tension means passing through said chamber and coupling said second closure means to said housing means; and

hydraulic drive means disposed within said chamber for causing said housing means to be rotated relative to said sleeve means.

8. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said drive means is operatively coupled to said first tension means, one end of said first tension means being affixed to said first closure means and the other end thereof including a bladed stator means frictionally engaging said sleeve means so as to normally remain static when a fluid is caused to flow through said chamber, said frictional engagement providing a clutching means allowing said housing means to be rotated relative to said sleeve means independently of said drive means in the event that an external force is applied to said housing means or said nozzle head means overcoming said frictional engagement, said clutching means thus reducing the likelihood of damage to said device.

9. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said drive means include a differential-epicyclic gear means which is lubricated by the fluid medium caused to flow through said device.

iii. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 9 wherein said drive means includes a rotor means, a sun gear means secured to said first closure means, a planetary gear means driven by said rotor means and engaging said sun gear means, and a housing drive gear means rotatable about a common axis with said sun gear means and operatively engaging said housing and said planetary gear means such that said housing means is caused to be rotated relative to said sleeve means in response to fluid flow induced rotation of said rotor means.

ii. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 10 wherein,

said nozzle head means includes a plurality of outwardly directed nozzle means communicating with said chamber for discharging the fluid passed thcrethrough.

12. A tank cleaning device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said drive means includes differential-epicyclic gear means operatively coupling said housing means to said sleeve means. 

